FAUSTINA II Marcus Aurelius Wife Hadrianopolis Tyche Luck Roman Coin i34430

Description

Item:
i34430
Authentic Ancient Coin of:
Faustina II 'Junior' - Roman Empress & Wife of Emperor Marcus Aurelius - 161-175 A.D. -
Bronze 22mm (5.92 grams) from Roman Provincial city of Hadrianopolis in Thrace
Reference: Varbanov, GIC II 3232; RPC online 10531
ΦΑΥΣΤΕΙΝΑ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΗ, draped bust right
ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟ−ΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ, Tyche seated left on rocks, holding grain ears.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
Tyche (pronounced Too-kee; Greek for luck; the Roman equivalent was Fortuna) was the presiding tutelary deity that governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, its destiny. Increasingly during the Hellenistic period, cities had their own specific iconic version of Tyche, wearing a mural crown (a crown like the walls of the city).
Edirne
(ancient
Hadrianopolis
) is a city in
Thrace
, the westernmost part of
Turkey
, close to the borders with
Greece
and
Bulgaria
. Edirne served as the capital city of the
Ottoman Empire
from 1365 to 1457, when
Constantinople
(
Istanbul
) became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the
Edirne Province
in
Turkish Thrace
. The city's estimated population in 2002 was 128,400, up from 119,298 in 2000. It has
consulates
of Bulgaria,
Germany
(Honorary), Greece,
Romania
(Honorary) and
Slovakia
(Honorary). Its sister cities are
Haskovo
and
Yambol
in
Bulgaria
and
Alexandroupoli
in
Greece
.
The city was founded as
Hadrianopolis
, named for the Roman Emperor
Hadrian
. This name is still used in the
Modern Greek
(Αδριανούπολη). The
English
name
Adrianople
, by which the city was known until the Turkish Postal Service Law of 1930, has fallen into disuse. The
Turkish
Edirne
, the
Bulgarian
Одрин
(Odrin), and the Serbian
Једрене
(Jedrene) are adapted forms of the name
Hadrianopolis
.
Annia Galeria Faustina Minor
(
Minor
Latin for
the younger
),
Faustina Minor
or
Faustina the Younger
(
February 16
between 125 and 130-175) was a daughter of
Roman Emperor
Antoninus Pius
and Roman Empress
Faustina the Elder
. She was a Roman Empress and wife to her maternal cousin Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius
. Though Roman sources give a generally negative view of her character, she was held in high esteem by soldiers and her own husband and was given divine honours after her death.
Biography
Faustina, named after her mother, was her parents' fourth and youngest child and their second daughter; she was also their only child to survive to adulthood. She was born and raised in
Rome
.
Her great uncle, the Emperor
Hadrian
, had arranged with her father for Faustina to marry
Lucius Verus
. On February 25, 138, she and Verus were betrothed.
Verus’ father
was Hadrian’s first adopted son and his intended heir. However when Verus’ father died, Hadrian chose Faustina’s father to be his second adopted son, and eventually, he became Hadrian’s successor. Faustina’s father ended the engagement between his daughter and Verus and arranged for Faustina's betrothal to her maternal cousin,
Marcus Aurelius
; Aurelius was also adopted by her father. On May 13, 145, Faustina and Marcus Aurelius were married. When her father died on March 7, 161, her husband and Lucius Verus succeeded to her father’s throne and became co-rulers. Faustina was given the title of
Augusta
and became Empress.
Unfortunately, not much has survived from the Roman sources regarding Faustina's life, but what is available does not give a good report.
Cassius Dio
and the
Augustan History
accuse Faustina of ordering deaths by poison and execution; she has also been accused of instigating the revolt of
Avidius Cassius
against her husband. The
Augustan History
mentions adultery with sailors, gladiators, and men of rank. However, Faustina and Aurelius seem to have been very close and mutually devoted. Her husband trusted her and defended her vigorously against detractors.
Faustina accompanied her husband on various military campaigns and enjoyed the love and reverence of Roman soldiers. Aurelius gave her the title of
Mater Castrorum
or
Mother of the Camp
. Between 170-174, she was in the north, and in 175, she accompanied Aurelius to the east. However, these experiences took their toll on Faustina, who died in the winter of 175, after an accident, at the military camp in Halala (a city in the
Taurus Mountains
in
Cappadocia
).
Aurelius grieved much for his wife and buried her in the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome. She was deified: her statue was placed in the Temple of Venus in Rome and a temple was dedicated to her in her honor. Halala’s name was changed to
Faustinopolis
and Aurelius opened charity schools for orphan girls called
Puellae Faustinianae
or 'Girls of Faustina'.
[1]
The Baths of Faustina in
Miletus
are named after her.
In their thirty years of marriage, Faustina bore Marcus Aurelius thirteen children:
Annia Aurelia Galeria Faustina
(147-after 165)
Gemellus Lucillae (died around 150), twin brother of Lucilla
Annia Aurelia Galeria
Lucilla
(148/50-182), twin sister of Gemellus, married her father's co-ruler
Lucius Verus
Titus Aelius Antoninus (born after 150, died before 7 March 161)
Titus Aelius Aurelius (born after 150, died before 7 March 161)
Hadrianus (152-157)
Domitia Faustina (born after 150, died before 7 March 161)
Fadilla
(159-after 211)
Annia Cornificia Faustina Minor
(160-after 211)
Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (161-165), twin brother of Commodus
Commodus
(161-192), twin brother of Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus, later emperor
Marcus Annius Verus Caesar
(162-169)
Vibia Aurelia Sabina (170-died before 217)
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